Ban this betting or we’ll be a nation of addicts
With reference to the epidemic of social problems that betting shops have caused with fixed-odds betting terminals (Fobts) and online gambling, i know people whose lives have been ruined by addiction. One person lived on tins of beans, having lost everything. Another i know lost £24,000 in eight days on the Fobts. it was not his own money, but made up with £4,000 float profits and money from his father’s contacts. i also know of a retired dentist addicted to the Fobts. he lost everything and committed suicide. i was in a betting shop one day and there was a man on a Fobts. it was obvious he had mental issues, yet he was allowed to lose £150. he left and came back three times within about 20 minutes, having somehow obtained more money, totally ignored by the manager. it was sickening. these managers are supposed to stop these poor wretches but never do, the slogan ‘when the fun stops — stop’ is just a front. i noticed on the BBC recently that sporting and betting companies top the list of donors treating MPs to hospitality. Sounds like a bung to me. i also noted recently that online gambling of around £5 billion has overtaken the number of people buying National Lottery tickets. this highlights the dangers, and if this is not stopped, then half the country will be hardened gamblers. For the sake of all the vulnerable people, i appeal to the Government to ban these machines — as even with a stake of £2 a go, big losses can be racked up very quickly. if the Government allows this to carry on because of the revenue from it, then it will be tantamount to aiding and abetting misery in our communities.
JOHN BAKER, upottery, Devon.